Rebellion
by Realityshowfan
Summary: The army created to protect the realms is now trying to destroy them. With the world in chaos, with no hope left, the few survivors turn to the one safe haven remaining: A secret realm known as Rebellion. There, they plan to fight back.
1. Prolouge

**This is in no way my story. I take absolutely no credit, this is my friend Sarsars story. He's having trouble uploading chapters on his computer so he's emailing them to me. He has a some more very good stories, I suggest you take a look at his profile.**

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In the Mushroom Kingdom, in a dark alleyway near the edge of Toad Town, two toads stood directly across from each other. One was leaning casually against the brick wall, scraping dirt out of the crack of two bricks in an effort to keep from falling asleep. The other had already fallen asleep, and his faint snoring barely reached the ears of his partner. Both were standing at the opening of a long, dark tunnel that echoed any small noise ominously.

"Two months," the toad grumbled after taking one of many glances at the tunnel entrance. "I love Mario and the princess, but guarding this entrance six hours a day for two months is almost too much to bear. I'd quit if this job wasn't so easy. But the boredom!" In his frustration, he kicked the other toad awake.

"What's going on?" The other toad asked groggily, clumsily grabbing his fallen spear. "Something finally come through?"

"No, but we have to stay awake in case something actually does come through," replied the former toad.

"Like anything ever will come through," the latter toad whined. He threw his spear back down, where it clattered off the brick. "We were asked to guard this a year ago! I haven't slept nights in months!"

"It's only been two-" The former toad began, but he heard faint footsteps. "Do you hear that?"

"Just my stomach grumbling," the latter mumbled. "Did you know I haven't had a feast in ages, either?"

"After tonight I'll buy you a shroom steak," the former said. "Now be quiet. I think I heard something." His grip on his spear tightened.

The two toads listened carefully for even the faintest noise. After a minute of listening, both heard a faint voice grumbling from the tunnel. They glanced at each other and stepped into the tunnel. They immediately felt their bodies tingle and their gazes were veiled in a faint light blue.

"What's going on?" The latter asked loudly.

"What was that?" A deep, gruff voice came from deeper in the tunnel.

The former put his hand to his lips in a shushing gesture and slowly tiptoed deeper into the tunnel.

"But isn't this why we were guarding the tunnel in the first place?" the latter whispered. "In case we heard anything suspicious. Let's alert the princess, quickly. I didn't like the sound of that voice."

"Just move on," an equally gruff voice commanded. "Whatever Richard heard was probably a rat. We know the mission, so let's carry it out. No talking."

"I swear I heard something," Richard pleaded. "Tiny voice as high as Willicent's."

"Shut it," a high voice replied. "My voice may be high, but my balls are bigger than yours!"

"What language," the latter toad mumbled. "Who are these guys?"

"That's what we're going to find out," the former replied. "Follow me."

The pair traveled in silence through the curving tunnel for a few minutes before hearing a loud stomp right around the corner. "Oh crud!" The latter whispered. "Let's leave!"

"Argh, damn it all!" Richard growled. "Stepped on a knife or something."

"Richard, you're a grown man," said a voice deeper than any of the ones the toads heard before. "Suck it up and quit being a baby. And shut up, too. Something may hear you."

"He'll wake up the whole town, the way he shouts," said another vaguely familiar voice.

"You have no room to talk, Mark," replied a fifth voice. "In fact, I don't know why you were sent here in the first place. We don't know any of your skills or abilities. Hell, we don't know your last name!"

"It's Smith," replied Mark. "You don't need to know what I can do. I'll follow orders, and that's all you need to know."

"Glad you know your place," said the deepest voice. "We've wasted too much time."

"He's right," agreed a sixth voice. "Let's move!"

The two toads heard footsteps approaching their position quickly. They couldn't risk running out or they'd alert the men. In a last second decision, the former toad grabbed the latter toad, held his mouth shut, and shrunk into the shadows. They saw five large men and one tall, lanky man walk past them, all carrying large guns and wearing full-body camouflage armor. Several grenades and ammo clips were in various pockets of their belts and each of their boots contained a knife.

"What're they going to do to the Mushroom Kingdom?" The latter toad whispered quickly as soon as they had passed. "They could kill everyone!"

"We can't sneak past them, but we can't let them get through," the former replied. "You willing to kill them?"

"For the good of the Kingdom," the latter answered, adrenaline rushing through his brain and clouding his judgment.

"Then get ready to attack on my signal," said the former toad. The pair stepped out of the shadows and ran to catch up with the soldiers. They got within eyesight and ducked down to muffle their footsteps. They aimed their spears at the two soldiers in the back, waited for the former toad to whisper the signal, and threw the spears straight into the men's backs. The two cried out in pain before collapsing. The four other men ran back to their comrades, wedged the spears out of their backs, threw them aside and checked their pulses.

"They're alive, but hurt," said the deep-voiced man, the largest one of the group. "What did this?"

"Did they set up traps?" Willicent asked.

"Lenny, Richard, you two okay?" Mark asked.

"I'm fine," muttered Richard. "Doesn't hurt too bad. Just a bit of pain."

"Says the person who cried out over stepping on a sharp rock," mumbled Willicent as he got out the medical kit.

"Really, Willicent, I'm fine," Richard repeated, getting to his feet. Lenny did the same. "The vest helped."

While they spoke, the two toads carefully walked to their spears and grabbed them again. They prepared to throw their spears again when Lenny glanced around and spotted them. "What the hell are they?" He asked, shocked, pointing at the toads.

"Fire," said the former toad. They threw their spears at the soldiers: one hitting Lenny in the chest and causing him to collapse again; the other landing harmlessly after Mark ducked. Four of the men grabbed their guns and shot blindly at the two toads, who had jumped back into the darkness. Mark stayed slightly behind the men, slowly walking toward the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Did we get them?" Willicent asked excitedly. "I think we got them!"

"No blood," noticed Richard. "Probably didn't get- wait! Lenny!" He finally noticed Lenny and removed the spear from him.

"He okay?" The largest man asked. "We don't need him, but I don't wanna carry the large bastard through this tunnel again."

"He's barely breathing," replied Richard, picking up the kit Willicent dropped as he sprayed. "I'll patch him up and we can leave him until we finish the mission."

"What about the toads?" Mark asked.

"Toads?" repeated Richard. "Frogs? They didn't look like frogs to me."

"Who is the soldier who did reconnaissance and who isn't?" Mark replied. "They're called toads and they're tough. We should leave, because there are more."

"Chicken," said the largest man, glaring at Mark. "When we finish patching Lenny up, we're going into that town and raising Hell."

"No you aren't," the latter toad shouted and, before the former toad could stop him, ran into the open and threw his spear at the largest man. He ducked and fired at the toad, hitting him three times before he could dive aside.

"I love this gun," said the largest man. "Rapid fire and amazing accuracy. Now, then, you toad! If you ain't dead, you'll die knowing this: We are going to go to your village, kill some people, burn some houses! Then the real army - the one a thousand times bigger than us - is going to burn your kingdom to the ground!"

"No you aren't," shouted the former toad, who had crawled up to Richard, pulled out the knife from his boot, and threw it at the largest man. It twisted in midair and the hilt hit the man in the stomach and fell harmlessly to the ground. "Shoot."

"Don't shoot!" Richard shouted, diving aside before the largest man could fire. The former toad was then showered with bullets; his body resembling red Swiss cheese after the largest man had stopped firing. His last breaths caused him excruciating pain and he knew his death would be for naught.

"Damn Bark," Richard said after getting to his feet. "I almost feel sad for the guy."

"He tried killing me," said Bark. "The bastard deserved it."

"Willicent, run!" Mark suddenly shouted. He had pulled out a grenade and threw it at Bark as soon as he shouted. He took off toward the Mushroom Kingdom while the other soldiers ran the other direction, abandoning their fallen comrade.

All three passed over the latter toad, who had heard his partner's death and knew what was coming. Unlike his partner, his last pain-filled breaths consisted of four words of hope: "For the Mushroom Kingdom." Before he could finish another breath, the grenade detonated, taking out the toad, Lenny, and collapsing the tunnel.

Mark slowed down when he reached the end of the tunnel. After checking for any witnesses, he crept out of the tunnel, stripped his clothes, threw them against the wall, and grabbed his hidden blue overalls, red shirt, and signature hat from behind a loose brick. After dusting them off, he searched the armor for the pistol hidden in the belt and the knife. After weighing the weapons in his hands, he checked the amount of ammo the pistol had and slid both in his pockets - just in case.

"Mamma mia," Mario muttered, rubbing his head and setting his hat on his head. The events of a few minutes prior had only just cemented in. He had seen two toads die. The first unnatural deaths in Mushroom Kingdom history. "Poor Toads. Poor, poor Toads! I'm so sorry you had to die. I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

He spent a few moments with his hat over his heart in a respectful salute, silently contemplating what had happened over the last few hours. He realized his mission was over, but he had a duty to the Kingdom. He knew what he had to do: "I have to warn the princess before it's too late!"


	2. Chapter 1

**Sarsars has promoted me to Messenger Boy, so if you want to contact him, send messages to me and I'll give them to him.** **And Remember, none of this is mine.**

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After quietly sneaking out of the alley, Mario walked towards Peach's castle as quickly as he could without drawing attention to himself. The sun was only just rising, so there was little reason to worry about being seen, but to avoid questions and accidentally letting something slip, he had to be inconspicuous. He wanted to warn the nearby toads in case the upcoming attack reached the Mushroom Kingdom before they could properly prepare, but Princess Peach came first.

The castle was a large, mysterious place: secrets were hidden in the oddest places and hundreds of rooms made up a giant maze which had only partially been explored by the current generation. It was a magnificent building that had passed through Peach's bloodline for centuries, said to be impenetrable by the history books, although the Kingdom had never been in a war that could test that claim. Mario reached the building easily enough, having traveled to it numerous times and it being seen for miles. Before he could enter, however, two toads who guarded the front gate crossed their spears when Mario got close.

"Please, guards, it is urgent," Mario pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Mario, but you know the precautions," one of the toads replied.

Mario sighed, annoyed at the delay, "Princess Peach rules over this land, this kingdom; thou are her servants until she leaves her throne. Now, guards, please?"

The two guards nodded and removed their spears, allowing Mario to pass through. He entered the castle and ran up the several flights of stairs to Peach's bedroom, where his friends and pseudo-enemies – Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Birdo, Wario, Blooper, Hammer Bro, and Dry Bones - were waiting. When Mario entered the room, he was immediately greeted by Luigi, who hugged him tightly.

"How'd it go?" Luigi asked, a slight tremble in his voice. "Are we safe?"

Luigi was joined by Peach and Daisy, who hugged Mario as well. "We aren't safe," Mario answered. "I'm sorry, Peach."

"It's fine," Peach replied, her eyes slightly puffy. "Please, please, Mario, we're just glad you're okay. You wouldn't believe the things Wario had said. We were so worried."

Mario glared at Wario, who said, "I just told them you didn't have a chance at surviving. I was wrong; welcome back."

"I'd have beaten him up if he wasn't so large," Yoshi assured him. "Glad to see you're back, Mario."

"Now, please, tell us what happened," Peach continued. "Don't leave out any details if you can."

"We should set up defenses immediately," said Mario. "The story isn't important."

"In order to completely understand what we're going up against, we have to know everything," said Peach. "Please, Mario, I need to know what happened to you. The defenses can w-" She stopped. She had let her emotions carry her words, not her mind. "Please, the story."

Mario knew what she was going to say, but he knew she had been worried sick about him. Wario's comments hadn't helped. He wasn't going to argue. "Very well," he said, and he began.

-

Mario had stripped down before entering the tunnel, as per the precautions Peach had advised. The guards were on their unexcused lunch break, so this was the best chance Mario had of getting through to the Final Destination realm unnoticed. Mario hid his clothes in a loose brick of the alley wall and made his quiet journey through the tunnel.

While walking, his head felt lighter and his mind felt clearer. His fingers twitched occasionally like he was being pleasantly shocked and his body tingled. He began thinking of random memories that had never occurred to him before.

"Why did those bushes and clouds look alike," he whispered. "It was like they had only swapped colors. Why did my second adventure feel like a dream and vaguely familiar? Why did my third adventure feel like it was all a play, a performance? It certainly felt real."

While pondering these thoughts, he saw the light at the other end of the tunnel growing brighter. He stopped talking out loud and listened intently for any sounds outside the tunnel. He was sure there would be guards outside the other end, but he didn't know how many, and he didn't want to get caught.

He entered the Final Destination realm and was blinded by the intense light. Even the Mushroom Kingdom's sun wasn't as bright as this. He blinked several times to get his eyes accustomed before realizing he was alone. The guards had also left for an unexcused lunch; a perfect coincidence that benefited him greatly. Mario walked to the right of the tunnel and ducked behind some nearby bushes, waiting for a chance to obtain new clothes. His patience was rewarded when a lone unarmed soldier walked nearby and was taken down by a quick punch to the head. He was then stripped and hidden behind a bush while his attacker put on his clothes.

"Perfect fit," Mario commented, zipping up the surprisingly comfortable pants. He searched the soldier for any weapons but found none, not that he'd ever use them. It would have helped the disguise. He also wanted to be on a somewhat even ground as the other men, even though he hoped he'd never have to be.

He walked down the path until he saw a jeep filled with soldiers driving by. He flagged it down and hopped on with the others, thanking the driver and keeping his head low to avoid attention. Nobody questioned him, but he did notice one particularly tall and familiar-looking man staring at him curiously. The jeep drove the soldiers into one of the many hundred camps scattered throughout the realm, all surrounding the main city.

The jeep stopped and Mario and the other soldiers climbed out of the jeep. Mario stood still, trying to get an idea of his surroundings as the other soldiers disappeared into their respective tents. Although trying to avoid attention, his blank staring made him appear lost and confused, and the tall soldier from earlier walked up to him.

"Hello," he began, sticking out his arm. "Are you new? You seem new. My name's Willicent, and yours?"

Mario shook his hand, recognizing the voice but not wanting to take a risk. "Mine is, er, Mark Smith."

"I see," replied Willicent, looking at Mario curiously. "Have I seen you before?"

"Didn't you say I seemed new?"

"You just look familiar," said Willicent. "That's all."

"Likewise. Where are you going? I am new and would like a tour around."

"I'm fairly new myself, but I'll tell you what I know. I came here from another camp, but if I'm right: the two will be similar enough. Follow me."

Willicent gave Mario a brief, vague tour of the various facilities. Hundreds of soldiers were lounging around, chatting and eating, very few actually training; all seemed nervous and anxious. Mario couldn't figure out why until the very end of the tour when Willicent said, "Mario, they're attacking the Mushroom Kingdom tomorrow."

"What did you say-" Mario began, but before he could finish Willicent shushed him.

"My real name is Waluigi," Willicent whispered. "I was-"

"Waluigi?" Mario interrupted. "We thought you'd died! I'm so glad to see you're okay."

Waluigi grinned, "I was sent here by Princess Peach three weeks ago to spy on the armies and figure out when they were going to attack. I got sidetracked and didn't report anything for a while, so I can understand why everyone thought I died and why they sent you here in my place. I know exactly what will happen soon. They're going to send a small party - myself included, hence why I was sent to this camp - to scout out the surrounding area and set up base for the rest of the army."

"When are you going to arrive?" Mario asked.

Waluigi's voice dropped down to below a whisper, "In a few hours. Tomorrow, there will be a large attack on the Mushroom Kingdom. Large as in three military camps filled with five thousand men each. Fifteen thousand men will attack the defenseless Kingdom, and they're all armed with advanced weapons that I've never seen before. The Mushroom Kingdom doesn't have them, and Mario, they're bad." Waluigi forgot to whisper, and a couple of soldiers heard him talking about the guns and grinned obliviously. "These weapons are so powerful they can kill hundreds of men within a few seconds. They have huge vehicles that can withstand these weapons, can withstand a hundred bullet bills before even getting dented. They have thousands upon thousands of these weapons and dozens of these vehicles. Mario, I don't think we can stop this army.

"We have to try to fight!" Mario replied, eyes widened, mouth dropping. "How could we live with ourselves if we just ran, and we didn't fight?

"At least we'd live if we ran," said Waluigi gloomily. "Mario, I'm sorry, I know it's hard to hear, but I really can't think of a way to stop them. I'm going back to the Mushroom Kingdom and telling the Princess of what I've learned. You have to go back before I'm sent on my mission, or you'll never get back."

"I'll tell the princess as soon as I can," Mario said, turning to go. "We'll get everyone we can to fight. I don't care what you say, Waluigi, I'm not going to run from danger."

"It's a shame we haven't seen Bowser in ages," said Waluigi. "Or we could get his weapons to help fight."

Before Mario could leave, an older solider with four golden stars on his green hat marched to Waluigi and shouted, "Halt, soldiers." Mario had no choice but to stay and watch as the soldier turned to Waluigi.

"Willicent, is it?" The soldier asked.

"Yes, Major Williams, sir," Waluigi said, saluting the Major.

"At ease," Williams said, and Waluigi dropped his arm. "You are to follow me and to meet your squad-" he paused, noticing Mario for the first time. "What is your name, soldier?"

Mario mustered up his most professional voice and said, "Mark Smith, sir," complete with salute.

Williams nodded, slightly grinning. "Willicent, you are to bring this boy along with you. He seems capable, strong, intelligent; six men can do a job just as well as five men."

"Sir, yes, sir," Willicent said, although questionably. Mario nearly gasped, holding the sound in, but his eyes widened enough to get Williams' attention.

"I know you're surprised you're being put into such an important assignment with no background information," Williams said understandably. "But please, for the mission, be professional. We wouldn't want you screwing up and facing the consequences. Now then, boys, follow me."

With Williams keeping them so close to him, the pair could whisper nothing to each other. Plans had changed, however: Mario realized he wouldn't be able to reach Peach in time to gather up the forces. He would have had nearly 24 hours to prepare, but now he would have no time at all. Waluigi's plan to desert the group would probably have only worked if he was alone, and now Mario was with him. Mario could contemplate nothing else because they shortly arrived at a rather large tent that was filled with weapons and four other men.

"Boys," Williams announced, and the four men quickly lined up and saluted. "At ease. Your assignment has been changed. Instead of infiltrating the Mushroom Kingdom with five of you, you will be infiltrating with six. Mark has no experience in your field of work, so you will have to explain quickly while you prepare. You shall also introduce yourself to each other. I expect you prepared within three hours. I shall then escort you via jeep to the tunnel to the Mushroom Kingdom." He left.

"Hello," said one man who stepped forward with a large, boyish grin and an extended hand. "The name's James." He waited for the others to introduce themselves, but after Williams left they glanced at the new arrivals and went back to what they were doing. James sighed and pointed at a man similar in stature to Waluigi, but whose huge nose and mustache were replaced with large front teeth. "Lenny," and then to a man whose most prominent features were his ears: the size of a human hand, but who otherwise looked normal. "Richard," and then at a black man whose height and width greatly overshadowed everyone else's, and who literally took up a quarter of the large tent. "Bark."

Mario and Waluigi introduced themselves by their false identities and James went over the plan in great detail for Mario's benefit. As hard as he tried, all Mario understood was that the five – now six – men were to travel to the Mushroom Kingdom and quickly set up a perimeter of twenty-five meters around the tunnel entrance. They were to dispatch of any guards or witnesses with their silenced weapons and keep as quiet as they could; although they were invading the Kingdom, James joked, they didn't want the enemy to know about it.

Mario stared at James while he discussed the plan; even though James was the official leader of the group, he looked far too young to be in the army, and didn't seem like the type of ruthless killer that Bark was. He sounded indifferent when talking about killing innocent civilians, but he constantly said that their reward would be great, and he couldn't wait to get it.

"That took longer than I thought," said James, glancing at his watch to find that an hour had passed. "I hope nobody has any questions, because I'm not explaining again."

"What if we don't remember anything?" Lenny asked.

"Then watch the others and hope they're doing it right," James answered. "Grab the M4A1 carbines and any pistol you so choose and attach a suppressor to both. Stash a knife in the slot in your boot and dress in this black camouflage armor. Night vision goggles aren't necessary, so don't bother using those. Shouldn't take you soldiers too long to get it done."

Now with some time to talk, Waluigi and Mario walked over to the weapons rack and picked up the labeled carbines. Mario stared at the gun as he held it; such a light piece of equipment, yet so deadly. He could feel the power that the gun could unleash, and he wanted to dispose of it immediately. Waluigi saw him looking at it and whispered, "That isn't even the most powerful gun the army uses; it's one of the most versatile and commonly used. It's still capable of tearing through dozens of people."

"There are so many of these guns," whispered Mario in disbelief. "How're we going to stop them?"

"I told you, we can't," said Waluigi. "We have to get back to Peach and evacuate the city, get to a safe haven.

"The army was created to protect us, not kill us," Mario whispered. "I can't believe they're going to do this."

Waluigi walked over to the grenade box and picked two out. He gave one to Mario, who held it curiously in his hand. "What's this?"

"Grenade," said Waluigi. "Remove that ring and throw it at your enemy and watch them explode. They might be useful."

They heard a deep growl behind them and turned to find Bark staring at them, grimacing. "You two done yet? I want my turn at these bad boys. I'm gonna tear shit up with these."

Not wanting to start a fight, the pair stepped aside and let Bark have his share. "What's your plan of escape?" Mario asked.

Waluigi sighed. "My original plan was to kill these men when they had their backs turned," he answered. "But I know you won't do that, so we're going to have to think of a new plan."

"Kill them?" Mario repeated. "We have to?"

"It's either them or us," Waluigi said. "We're going to have to make our stand soon."

-

They arrived at the tunnel two hours later, escorted by Williams, who dropped them off with encouraging words: "Your mission is the first step to our victory. This will be one of proudest moments in history. You'll do your world proud, boys – sorry – men."

"I love those words," James said, his grin growing wider. He glanced at his men in preparation for a few words of his own, but he spotted Mario awkwardly holding his gun incorrectly. "Mark, you sure you're one of the best?"

"No," Mario said honestly, and Lenny chuckled.

"If you shoot that gun, you're going to die. Hold it like I am," James said, indicating how to hold it, and Mario corrected himself.

"Now then, men, the Major is right: We're going to start this war; we're going to show the Mushroom Kingdom, and then the Earthbound, and then the Legend of Zelda nations who has the strongest army. We're going to lead our troops to victory; we're going to be remembered for generations to come."

"Pretty simple mission for such high prestige," Richard noted.

"Hear, hear," James agreed. "That's the best part of the reward! I personally can't wait to finish. Now then, men, are we ready?" When the men nodded their heads, James nodded back and took the first step into the tunnel.

-

When Mario got to the fight with the Toads, Peach muttered, "Oh no!" and hugged him tightly.

"After we fought the toads," said Mario. "I panicked. I saw what those guns could do and didn't want them getting any closer to this place. I grabbed the grenade they gave me, told Waluigi to run, and threw it at the ground. I shouldn't have done that, I know; Waluigi had much more information than I do. I panicked."

"I- I'm sorry," Wario muttered. "That must've been horrible. I would've cracked, I just know it. I'm sorry for spreading those lies."

"It's alright," said Mario while Peach hugged him tightly once more. "I don't think I did well at all. Waluigi would've had a much better plan, and I don't know if we'll ever see him again."

"Those poor toads," Peach muttered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm glad you're okay, Mario, really I am. You did whatever you had to do, and we respect that. We have to prepare as quickly as possible! Yoshi?"

Yoshi jumped to his feet as quickly as he could. "Yes, Peach?"

Peach turned to Mario. "That place you told me about before we left, you can get us there, correct?"

Mario nodded. "As soon as possible."

"Very well, we have to hurry. Yoshi, run down to Town Square and signal for evacuation. We're all going to safety."

Yoshi nodded. "I'll be back quickly," he said to Birdo and ran out the door. Before he made it a few feet down the stairs, Luigi saw a large explosion from the direction of the tunnel and a few seconds later the castle shook from the blast.

"What's going on?" Luigi shouted. Yoshi ran back into the room, followed by Toadsworth.

"Princess, there was an explosion!" Toadsworth shouted. "Are you fine?"

"Yes, Toadsworth," Peach assured him. "I'm fine."

Mario joined his brother at the window. "We're too late," he muttered.


	3. Chapter 2

**None of this is mine, blah blah blah. It's Sarsars, go read other chapters for more detail. Anyway, enjoy!**

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"Should I still go?" Yoshi asked. "The soldiers can't get here that quickly, can they?"

"No, Yoshi," Toadsworth said, shaking his head and breathing heavily. "We cannot risk any of your lives. Mario, lead everyone to that haven of yours. I'll go to the roof and ring the bell. Hopefully the citizens will know what to do, if the explosion didn't let them know already."

"You'll follow us of course," Peach ordered. "Please, hurry."

As Toadsworth ran out of the room, Toadette and her boyfriend walked in. "Toadsworth," Toadette called. "What's going on? What was that loud noise?"

"They'll explain!" Toadsworth's faint voice came from down the hall.

"Mario-," Toadette began to repeat her question.

"People are attacking us," Wario interrupted. "We're getting out of here."

"Attacking," Toad repeated. "Bowser again?"

Many of the room's occupants were being ushered by Peach toward the other end of the room. Peach and Luigi pushed the throne aside, revealing a dark, tight passage.

"Everyone go through here; it'll take us out of the castle," Peach said.

"Stay together," Mario commanded, leading Toad and Toadette to the throne. "We don't need anyone running away. We'll wait at the tunnel entrance for anyone else, but we're leaving shortly."

"Wait," said Dry Bones. "Tunnel? Our grand escape plan is going through a tunnel?"

"Shut it, Dry Bones," said Wario. "When you come up with a better plan, tell us. In the meantime, keep your mouth shut and follow Mario."

"They'll be waiting for us," muttered Dry Bones. "When we exit the tunnel, they'll see us and kill us." Wario punched him and, with that, everyone left Mario and Hammer Bro alone in the room.

"Hammer Bro," Mario said, as Hammer Bro was still sitting on the couch. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," said Hammer Bro, distractedly staring at his hammer and twirling it in his hand. "I'm just thinking about something."

"Think quickly, please," said Mario, glancing out the window and noticing flames spreading across the rooftops. Faint screams were seeping through the crack in the window. "I don't want anyone separated." He disappeared through the secret passage, but kept it open for when Hammer Bro decided to join them.

"This is stupid," Hammer Bro muttered to himself. "After how many years of ruling this kingdom? After centuries? It all comes crashing down like this! This attack hasn't even lasted five minutes and already people are running!" He got to his feet. "I'll see if Toadsworth needs help."

Hammer Bro ran down the hallway and up a ladder that brought him to the roof. He hadn't heard the bell yet, and when he climbed onto the roof he saw why: Toadsworth was lying on the ground, face first, with blood trickling out from underneath him.

"Toadsworth!" Hammer Bro shouted and ran to him. "You alright, man? What happened?" He turned Toadsworth over and noticed the blood was darkest near his left thigh. "Th- that's a lot of blood! Let's get you downstairs."

"Has the princess left?" Toadsworth rasped, clutching his thigh in pain.

"Yeah," Hammer Bro said several times quickly. "They all left. I stayed behind to make sure you were okay. I'm glad I did." He slowly carried Toadsworth down the ladder and was greeted by several toads when he got to the ground.

"What happened?" Many of them asked. "Is Toadsworth okay? Why is there so much blood?"

"He's hurt," Hammer Bro said bluntly. "He's in pain and he needs a doctor. Can someone get one?"

"He's near Town Square," explained one. "I'll get him!"

"Town Square?" Hammer Bro repeated while the toad ran off. "Wait! Don't!" The toad was too far away to hear him. "Are there any bandages around? We need to stop him from bleeding to death. What hit you?"

"I'll get some bandages," another announced and followed the first toad.

"Gun shot," muttered Toadsworth. "Hit by gunshot."

"What's a gunshot?" A toad asked.

"Dangerous enough to cause that," Hammer Bro said, pointing at the wound and knowing he made the wrong decision. "After we get you patched up, we're getting you to that haven."

"No," said Toadsworth. "Too late. Save yourself."

Hammer Bro ignored this and turned to the many toads standing a distance away. "You heard me? Safe haven. Go through that door and go into the passage. If you see Mario or Peach, follow them. They'll get you to safety."

Most of the toads nodded and ran away, but two stayed behind. One explained he was worried about Toadsworth while the other had too much pride to run. Despite Hammer Bro's warnings, both were adamant. When one of the toads came back with bandages, Hammer Bro sighed and gave up. He wrapped the bandages around Toadsworth's thigh, tied the knot tight, and lifted him onto his feet.

"Now, Toadsworth, let's follow the others," Hammer Bro muttered. As soon as he said this, two toads ran into the hallway.

"Toadsworth," one shouted, not noticing his condition. "Men are coming from the village; they're killing everybody! They're going to attack the castle! We need your help!"

"He's in no condition," Hammer Bro spat. "Hold them off as long as you can, but do not risk your lives. Run as soon as you feel you're able."

"Why should we listen to you?" The other toad muttered. "Always throwing hammers at us like we're targets."

"That's exactly what I'm going to do if you don't shut up and move!" Hammer Bro shouted, dropping Toadsworth and pulling a hammer out. The two toads ran away in fear while the others picked Toadsworth up.

"You two can carry him out of here?" Hammer Bro asked. They nodded. "Then I'll hold them off, too. I'll come as soon as I can."

"Princess..." muttered Toadsworth weakly.

Hammer Bro ran after the toads, eventually catching up with them and ushering them toward the front door when they tried to get away. A dozen toads were already blocking the door with various pieces of furniture. Large pounding could be heard from the other side, and some of the toads pushed against the door with all their might. The pounding subsided and the toads continued piling furniture.

"Where are the other toads?" Hammer Bro asked as he grabbed a chair and lifted it above his head.

"We don't know," replied one toad. "We were all in the castle when we heard the explosion."

"I tried telling them," another whispered. "We could be blocking our friends out; that pounding could be from them. We could be killing them!"

"They have time to escape when they realize they can't enter," said a third toad who overheard. "It's not like many of them haven't died already."

"You shut up!" The second shouted, preparing to throw a punch.

"Stupid toads," Hammer Bro muttered. "Stop fighting and help! Stupid conflicts like this aren't going to save us."

"Isn't there a secret passage near Peach's throne?" A toad pondered. "We could all escape through there."

"We don't know if those men have surrounded the castle yet," said another toad. He looked nervously at the door on the second floor. "Should we block that door too?"

"No," said the third toad. "Let's get out of here now. We have plenty of time!"

"Hammer Bro, what do you think?" The first toad asked.

"Who cares?" The third toad asked. "He's one of Bowser's men; the only reason he's with us now is because his employer isn't here anymore. Otherwise he'd be our enemy. He may try to sabotage us."

"How dare you try to sabotage us by helping us pile furniture against the door?" A toad shouted sarcastically. He turned to the toad: "Just shut up about the conspiracy."

"I'm for leaving," Hammer Bro offered. The pounding on the door grew louder and more rapid; the door began to shake with each knock. Furniture toppled over due to the force of the pounds. The toads and Hammer Bro slowly, silently, cautiously walked backwards toward the stairs. As the last of the furniture toppled, the group sprinted up the stairs and down the hallway.

The doors were forced open and following them was a large number of soldiers, many off-balance and stumbling while those behind quickly taking positions and firing at the toads with their assault rifles. One toad was shot in the knee as he was crawling up the last step and collapsed, abandoned as the remaining toads shut the second-floor doors on him.

The group panted, taking in large breaths of air for the brief seconds of peace. Any second now, they knew, soldiers would attack these doors as well. They had nothing to block them with, so they ran down the hallway as soon as they caught their breath. One toad got his best friend to climb up the ladder with him and so the two separated from the group. As the others made it into the next room and the soldiers broke down the doors, the toads had climbed onto the roof.

"What happened up here," one toad gasped as he saw Toadsworth's blood.

"I'm going to be sick," muttered the other. They heard several footsteps below, looked down and saw the dozens of soldiers running passed them. "This was a bad idea."

"Just don't make any noises," warned the first. "They won't spot us if they don't realize we're here."

As the two silenced, they heard faint screaming from the village and louder screaming from the castle. They quietly searched the roof for a way to escape, but before they did the first toad was sniped. He was leaning over the edge, searching for a form of fire escape, and so his lifeless body plummeted to the water, landing with a quiet splash.

"Oh my-" the other toad gasped when he saw his friend fall. "No!" He shouted, drawing the attention of the soldiers below. He realized his mistake, but did nothing to fix it as the soldiers slowly climbed the ladder. He had no reason to fight back, to escape; he had already lost everything.

The group hadn't noticed the two toads' separation until they had bolted the doors to Peach's throne room shut. By then, they could hear the soldiers approaching and knew the pair was doomed.

Hammer Bro searched the room for signs of the toads and found all three of them lying face-first outside the large windows, which had now been shattered, in a pool of blood. He dropped down beside the window and turned one of the toads over to find the bullet wound in his head. The other toad had a similar mortal wound and Toadsworth had bled to death while they lay on top of him.

"Who are they?" A toad asked after catching his breath.

"Wait," muttered another. "Is that Toadsworth?"

"Oh no!" shouted a third. "Toadsworth? Why?"

The toads crowded around him, knocking Hammer Bro aside. Many of them were in front of the window, where Hammer Bro knew the fatal bullets had come from. He was trying to warn the toads, but they were shouting too loudly for anyone to hear him. He walked toward the tunnel, hoping the others hadn't abandoned him, when two things happened.

First, the snipers positioned on the roofs of houses in the village had seen the group of toads and took aim. It wasn't hard: their years of experience and the toads' large heads made the shots some of the easiest they had ever made. As they fired in quick succession, six toads dropped before the group knew what had happened. They tried shooting again, but no other toads were at the window so they searched the remaining parts of the castle.

Second, one soldiers' grenade had gone off right at the door, blowing it off its hinges and sending it flying across the room, crashing next to the throne. A second grenade was thrown into the room, but Hammer Bro saw it and reacted quickly. He grabbed his hammer and, praying that what he was going to do would work, swung at the grenade. The hammer made contact and, instead of exploding, sent the grenade flying back into the hall. As it exploded, soldiers stormed into the room and quickly shot the surviving toads. After making sure each toad was dead and while caring for their own deceased, they searched the room.

The soldiers did not see the secret passage for several minutes after they had entered. Hammer Bro quickly grabbed the door, ran through the entrance, and pulled the door over the entrance, sealing off all light. Knowing full well the toads were dead, Hammer Bro ran without thought, without remorse, without emotion through the tunnel. Only pausing to recover from occasionally hitting his head against the walls he could not see, he made it through the passage within a few minutes. There was an open door at the end and standing at the door was Mario, slightly hidden, carrying a pistol.

"Hammer Bro," Mario began. "What happened? I heard explosions and screams; I saw bullets shatter the windows to the throne room. Are there any other survivors? Toadsworth? Any toads?"

Hammer Bro shook his head, too tired to speak more coherently than short gasps. "Men came, shot, killed. Exploding eggs. Flying doors. Dying toads. Horrible."

"No survivors," Mario said sullenly. He looked around slowly, then looked past Hammer Bro and listened for sounds. He heard none and looked at Hammer Bro. "Everyone is dead?"

Hammer Bro nodded in response. Tears swelled in Mario's eyes, but he brushed them away. "I'm sorry for them. Poor toads. Toadsworth. This only confirms it: we need to escape. They reached the castle and conquered it within an hour of their attack. There are thousands of them. I can't imagine what the village will look like if we ever see it again." He looked at Hammer Bro, who was clutching his side and looked like he would faint. "Hammer Bro, are you able to run?" Hammer Bro nodded. "Then let's go; the others are waiting."


	4. Chapter 3

**Look at the other chapters for the explanation of why this isn't my story. Oh, and to the readers, have cookies! *Hands out cookies*. Now Review my friends story! And enjoy.**

* * *

Mario and Hammer Bro traveled the short distance to the tunnel, trying to block out the screams and explosions from the village. It became so hard to do so that both had to cover their ears and close their eyes, hoping to keep walking in the right direction.

"This sucks," Wario mumbled, staring at the city that many others chose to ignore. "We can't do anything about the city; we're powerless. Now we're abandoning them like cowards."

"Don't say that," Peach whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "We are not cowards. We have no other choice.

"My brothers are in that village," said Toad, clenching his fists. "I should've brought them with us. I had no idea this would happen."

Toadette patted Toad on his shoulder. "It isn't your fault. We'll be alright; we'll save them after we get help."

Yoshi and Luigi glanced at each other. "It's been ten minutes," Yoshi mumbled. "Mario will catch up with us when he gets the chance."

"He'll be fine," said Luigi. "He told us what do so, so let's do it."

The group turned around and walked through the tunnel. As they were disappearing, Mario and Hammer Bro came into view. They had to run, shouting, toward them in order to get their attention. Eventually, they succeeded. When they rejoined them at the edge of the tunnel, Hammer Bro explained what had happened in the castle, including the death of Toadsworth. When she heard the news, Peach excused herself from the group and silently mourned him while the group stood in an awkward silence. After Peach recovered, the group walked down the tunnel and through the next realm.

"Attack! Attack!"

The words rang out amongst the simultaneous marching of the thousands of soldiers, all heading through the dark tunnel that led to a mysterious place. The leaders could yell these confident words as much as they wanted; they didn't have to fight. They were there to make sure the soldiers kept in formation, and then they would drive home and eat a relaxing meal. The soldiers were the ones in true danger. But for reasons other than war.

One of the soldiers, located near the front lines, was Waluigi. What he hadn't told Mario was that during his stay in the Final Destination realm, he had traveled to the heart of the city and found the machine that created the soldiers. He had destroyed the machine beyond repair using nearly a pound of plastic explosive. It was enough to cause the building itself to crash to the ground. Aside from reconnaissance, that was his primary mission. Now that the soldiers couldn't be created assembly-line style, every soldier was important if the armies wanted to maintain power. He had done this only just before he found Mario, so it was no surprise the news hadn't traveled to the various armies attacking the several realms, and soldiers were being thrown at the enemy in large numbers with no other tactical reasoning other than overwhelming the enemy.

Everyone but Lenny had survived the explosion, and in the panic nobody heard Mario call out Waluigi's name. However, as punishment for failing the mission, they had been sent to different missions in the front lines of each attack. Although he had trained with other soldiers for a few weeks, he struggled to keep in step with those who had trained for literally their entire lives. He wasn't built for carrying large amounts of equipment for long periods of time, so occasionally he stumbled and was almost trampled. He also knew that if the realm they were heading toward was as prepared as he thought, then the first lines - his included - would be the "suicidal" lines.

After what seemed like an eternity, made even longer due to the excess weight, the light from the other end of the tunnel faintly grew. As the first lines got closer, their marching turned into a jog, and then a charge. They pulled out grenades and threw them quickly, then got out their assault rifles and sprinted into the realm. The next few lines did the same. Waluigi stumbled for the fifth time this march and was almost literally trampled, but the soldier behind him picked him up and pushed him roughly towards the tunnel exit. Waluigi didn't know if he should have thanked him or hated him, as he didn't know whether or not he could kill an ally.

The beautiful, serene, gloriously green fields of Dreamland sparkled in the bright sun. Not many residents were awake this early in the morning, but three of the youngest were running through a flowerbed and enjoying the light.

"This is a perfect day," Tiff announced happily.

"Puyo," agreed Kirby.

"What'll we do first?" Tuff asked. "Tag, hide and seek, or a race?"

"Tag alright with you, Kirby?"

Kirby nodded in agreement and so the three ran around the field in a game of tag.

Meanwhile, the group had entered the realm via the nearby tunnel and quickly discussed their plan. They saw a village close by, overlooked by a large castle, so they assumed their best bet was to get to the castle. They debated only sending their humans to get help in order to stay inconspicuous, but then they saw the trio and, seeing none of them was human, thought against splitting up. They walked over to the trio and saw that they were children.

"Do we want to involve these children," Mario whispered.

"If we don't, then they may be killed by the soldiers who will no doubt follow us," said Yoshi.

"Don't say that," whispered Peach. "We don't need more death, let alone mere children!"

"Sorry," said Yoshi. "Let's ask them to take us up to the castle; I'm sure whoever is up there will know what we should do."

Mario nodded and led the group to the children. "Excuse me, children," he called. "We need your help!"

The trio stopped playing. "Who are you?" Tiff asked, blocking Kirby from view. "What do you want? Did Dedede send you?"

"Dedede," repeated Luigi. "Do we know that name?"

"It sounds familiar," agreed Mario. "Dedede did not send us. We need help. Is there anyone of power: royalty or government that we could speak to?"

"Yeah, there's our king," Tiff answered suspiciously. "But I doubt you'd want to talk to him."

"If he could help us, I'm sure we would."

"Please, children, take us to your leader," Peach said as sweetly as possible. Her tone softened Tiff up immediately.

"Alright, we'll take you there," Tiff said. "Although King Dedede is a mean bird. I don't think he'll help you."

"I'm sure he will, when we explain," said Peach.

Metaknight and King Dedede were discussing defensive plans for the village. While they had no contact with the Final Destination realm, their constant scouts had given them important information about the armies. Two facts stuck in their heads the most:

"The armies are absolutely powerful and we're severely weak," said King Dedede, slamming the table and nearly shattering the glass. "Why is our land so pathetic? I'm King Dedede: I should have an army as large and as powerful as the opposing army. I shouldn't have waddle dees."

"I sense grave danger coming quickly towards us," Metaknight said, glancing out the windows that overlooked the village. "We must evacuate the village quickly.

"This sucks," muttered King Dedede. "This really, really sucks. We shouldn't have to evacuate." He picked up the captured gun – an exact replica of the weapons used earlier – and examined it for the thirtieth time. "This little piece of plastic is so deadly, and they have thousands of them."

"King Dedede, please, stop playing with it and announce the alarm. We must go quickly if we are to reach Rebe-"

"Metaknight, Dedede," Tiff called, running toward them and leading the large group. "We have some visitors who want to see you."

"Sorry, my liege," a waddle doo said apologetically. "They ran too fast; I couldn't warn you in time."

Metaknight looked over the group and saw Mario. Their eyes locked and they grinned. Mario walked over to Metaknight and patted him on the head while Metaknight reached Mario's waist.

"It's good to see you, Mario," Metaknight said. "Or, perhaps, it's awful to see you. Why are you all here? Why aren't you in your own realm?"

"The attack has begun," Mario said. "We made it out as soon as we could. The armies overran us within an hour. They're coming here next, and as lightly defended as this realm is, I'm afraid you won't survive." He noticed the gun on the table.

"Told you, Metaknight," muttered King Dedede. He got to his feet and surveyed the group as well. "Are these guys gonna follow us to Rebellion or not?"

"What's Rebellion?" Wario demanded.

Metaknight ignored him. "They aren't going to follow us; they're going to lead. Mario knows the realms better than I."

"Is that so," King Dedede muttered. "Waddle doo, quickly run to the village and announce the evacuation. Tell everyone to leave their belongings and go to the castle. Here, we'll tell them where to go."

"Yes, my liege," the waddle doo bowed and quickly ran out of the room.

"Wait, evacuation?" Tiff asked. "Why are we leaving? What's going on?"

"Why do we have to evacuate?" Tuff asked. "Kirby'll take whoever comes near Dreamland!"

"Puyo!" Kirby agreed.

"I'm afraid, children, there are dark times for Dreamland," said Metaknight. "We must leave as soon as we can. Even Kirby, with his infinite powers, cannot stop what is coming."

"It's that big?" Tuff gasped.

"It's that big."

"Metaknight," Mario said, pointing at the gun. "Where did you find that?"

"We've been sending scouts to the Final Destination realm for months," said Metaknight. "They ambushed some soldiers and stole their equipment. This weapon and a small weapon that doesn't work are all we found."

"Does it have any ammunition?" Mario asked.

"Don't know how to check," said King Dedede. "We shot like ten little pointed metal things at a Gordo and they ripped it to shreds. The first time I've seen a Gordo hurt, let alone killed."

"Oh my gosh," Tiff gasped.

"Those things hold thirty," said Mario. "I've held one of those things before, and Waluigi explained how to use it. I- I think I can use it if we come under attack too quickly."

"Mario, this thing can kill," said Metaknight. "Are you sure you're going to be willing to kill?"

Mario glanced at Peach and nodded. "To protect my friends and family, I'm sure."

"So what's the plan, Metaknight?" Yoshi asked. "Where're we going and who're we going with?"

"There are only two realms – I'm sure you will get an explanation about those later – connected to the Dreamland realm: Mushroom Kingdom and Star Fox. Since the Mushroom Kingdom is under attack, we'll go through the Star Fox realm and collect Krystal and anyone willing to come with us. Through there we travel to the Legend of Zelda realm, and then to Rebellion."

"Now I have two questions," Wario grumbled. "What is Rebellion, and what happened to Waluigi?"

Before anyone could answer, they heard a faint explosion. The ground shook slightly beneath them, causing Wario to fall onto his back. This seemed too familiar to Hammer Bro, because he shouted, "Run, everyone, we're under attack!" before calming down and quickly apologizing. Through the windows, the group could see a few tiny dots surrounding a smoking crater, with more dots pouring through the tunnel.

"That was sooner than I expected," Metaknight said. "We have to get the villagers out quickly. Let's go to the village and escort as many people as possible. Hurry!"

Before anyone ran farther than the front door, Mario stopped them briefly. "Someone please escort the women and children to the Star Fox tunnel. If we can't stop the soldiers in time, we have to make sure they're safe."

Metaknight and King Dedede looked at each other. They were the only ones who knew the location of the tunnel. "I'll go," said King Dedede. "Come on, ladies. I'll protect you."

"Mario," whispered Toad. "I can help."

"Toad, we probably won't be able to help," said Dry Bones. "Just get yourself to safety and don't worry about us."

As the men turned to leave, Toad called out, "If you aren't going to help, why risk your lives?"

King Dedede patted Toad on the shoulder. "It's alright little Toad. They're strong and brave; they're going to help. Now follow me and stay close; we don't need anyone else in danger."

The group ran out of the castle and sprinted toward the village, listening to the screams of the villagers and unsuppressed bullets firing at targets. Mario had grabbed the gun and was contemplating whether he could go through with killing a soldier. The cause was just: these villagers were innocent; the soldiers were not. The internal struggle was growing fiercer as the village grew closer, and Mario began to doubt he could truly kill.

His struggle dissipated with one incident: as they reached the village, they were forced to scatter to escape from a barrage of bullets aimed straight at them. There were two fatalities: Blooper, who had no chance; his corpse was decorated in blood and bullet holes; and Dry Bones, who had split apart. These two acted as meat shields for the others, who were able to separate and get behind cover (a pile of crates, a fence, and the side of a house) before anyone else got injured.

"Blooper!" Hammer Bro shrieked, seeing his dead best friend helpless on the ground. He was able to run and comfort him, but Yoshi held him back. "Blooper, speak! Are you alright?"

"Hammer Bro," said Yoshi, trying to keep calm in his voice despite the situation. "I'm sorry, but he's dead."

"H- he can't be," muttered Hammer Bro, dropping to the ground. "Who did this?"

As if to answer this question, a soldier suddenly jumped out from the pile of crates and was gunned down by Mario, who had fired without thinking. He stared at the soldier, who now looked like Blooper, in disbelief. Yoshi patted Mario on the shoulder.

"You did the right thing," Yoshi said. "You avenged Blooper." He looked at the body more closely. "I can't believe how deadly that thing is. You tore him apart."

"Bad choice of words," muttered Mario, who was tempted to throw the gun away.

Dry Bones had reformed and quickly ran over to the trio. "What happened? Why are there two bloody corpses?"

"Don't talk about Blooper like that," Hammer Bro seethed, reaching for a hammer.

"Let's not get into a fight," said Yoshi. "Remember why we're here? If the soldiers have infiltrated this far into the village, there might not be many survivors left. Run into this house we're next to and see if anyone's still alive."

Mario nodded, held his gun in front of him, and took the lead around the corner. No soldiers were in sight, but the sounds of gunfire were getting louder, and the fires were inching closer. Mario made himself as small as possible as he crept toward the door. He opened it quickly, noting it was unlocked, and searched the room before entering. Hammer Bro, Yoshi, and Dry Bones followed him in as, across the street, another group was searching another house.

The house was small, but cozy, and obviously built for a couple. A cozy fire burned in the fireplace, illuminating the wooden floor and green, plant-like furniture in a warm, red glow. Although the furniture was in place, there were signs of a struggle: the rug, a colorful mishmash of bright colors, had been trampled on and kicked and was now a messy pile of fabric coated in a layer of blood. The small television screen had been cracked as the set smoked uselessly. Upon closer inspection, Mario noticed a set of bullet holes in the wall. And then the smell hit them: a smell that would haunt their nightmares and a smell that they would never forget again.

Plugging his nose, Yoshi muttered, "There's been a murder; we have to get out of here. That soldier you killed may not have been the only one."

As if to answer this statement, the quartet heard a pair of boots stomping around upstairs. Someone was muttering to himself as the sound of running water filled the room. The quartet knew nothing could be done for this house's occupants and they retraced their steps as they walked out of the house.

"Let's try the next house," said Hammer Bro, although they were feeling a growing sense of helplessness. This house was on the edge of the village; if the soldiers had penetrated this far, as Yoshi had said, then there was little hope of survivors.

In the house next door, Metaknight had led his group throughout the house. There was no sign of a struggle, no awful smell of a corpse, no bullet holes, and no destroyed television. The house was deserted; the house's occupants either went quietly or they had luckily made it out before the village was under attack. Metaknight, Luigi, Kirby, and Wario had left the house at the same time as Mario's, and the two leaders shook their heads in defeat when they saw each other.

"I fear we are too late," Metaknight called. Although he spoke calmly, inside he felt regret and remorse. "If we do not leave now, we will share the same fate as the villagers."

In the short time they had searched the houses, the screaming and gunfire had ceased. Only now did the group notice this and they acted quickly: with only a hand signal to guide them, they sprinted out of the village and hid behind a nearby hill. As they turned around, they saw several soldiers walking toward the spot they used to be standing on. The soldiers split up and checked the two houses.

"Now I'm sure they're dead," said Dry Bones.

"Them and Blooper," muttered Hammer Bro. This thought made them realize the danger the soldiers were. Eight of them had run toward the village and seven ran away. The only things that had been accomplished were the death of an ally and a short, unsatisfying revenge.

"It's time to go," said Metaknight. "Follow me."


End file.
